Senators say Parliament enabled police impunity by vetting unfit officers
Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot was among those who criticised his colleagues for what he termed as performative outrage and inaction in the face of repeated police abuses.
Blame games took centre stage as senators clashed over who should bear responsibility for Albert Ojwang’s death in a police cell.
While many legislators directed their fury at Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of police Eliud Lagat, demanding his arrest and prosecution, others accused the Senate itself of enabling the systemic failures that led to Ojwang’s death, as they allowed top police officers to ascend to powerful positions without thorough scrutiny during the vetting process.
More To Read
- Court battle looms as activist sues police service commission over DIG Lagat’s replacement
- National Police Service vows reforms after admitting error in Ojwang death report release
- Autopsy reveals Kariuki died from severe head injury caused by four bullet fragments
- Senators back plan to give municipalities control over their own revenue
- Senate slashes county executive spending by Sh10.34 billion
- Local authorities fund faces Senate scrutiny over staff ethnic makeup, disability inclusion gaps
Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot was among those who criticised his colleagues for what he termed as performative outrage and inaction in the face of repeated police abuses.
“I’ve sat here wondering beyond the things we say, what’s next. The unfortunate thing is that we’ve abetted these kinds of crimes for too long. We want to get clips on TikTok. Look at the House, it’s virtually empty. People have said what they wanted to say without recourse,” he said.
He pointed to a motion passed after the June 25 protests, which he said had laid out clear action points that have been ignored.
“The motion that we passed… if we had adhered to it and our committees… there were specific things we asked each committee. Up to when do we want to be a House of Lamentations? They did not vote for us to come and lament because we have the power. If you whine, what do you expect the young people to do? Let us stop this hypocrisy of just speaking and then going home.”
Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’ joined the fray, demanding the resignation of Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and urging the Senate to take responsibility for having approved the appointments of top police officials.
“The problem I have with Parliament is that we talk as if we have no hope. Parliament is the one that vetted the Police IG, and as a result, he is answerable to this House. Tomorrow, the Police IG must be here. This gentleman did not die, he was killed by the police,” he said.
The fiery session was prompted by Migori Senator Eddy Oketch’s request for a statement from the Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations following the mysterious death of 26-year-old Ojwang’ in police custody.
Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale was among those who demanded that the matter be escalated to the highest levels of government and that DIG Lagat be arrested.
“I am asking that this matter be escalated to the highest level, whereby we must instil fear in the government for the State to respect human life. It is not enough to ask the Deputy IG to resign,” Khalwale said.
“We want the same speed that we saw when our colleague was killed last month… We want Eliud Lagat to be arrested so that he can write a statement from the police station, for it to be clearer to him that he has a responsibility.”
He added that the police officers who transferred Ojwang’ from Homa Bay to Nairobi must also be held accountable. “Why are they walking scot-free? We must protect our children, and it is this Parliament that will bring this to an end.”
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei echoed Khalwale’s remarks and reiterated the need for Parliament to form a judicial inquiry into allegations of extrajudicial killings.
“It can’t be that, as a Senate, we allow insecurity to happen in this country. I want to appeal to the president, heads must roll, including the Interior CS, Police Inspector General and his subordinates, OCS Homa Bay and Safaricom, who gave out the location of this suspect,” Cherargei said.
Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka turned attention to Ojwang’s social media activity before his death, claiming he had exposed corruption within the police force and suggesting that it may have been the motive behind his killing.
“The reason he was killed, he said, the Police Service receives close to Sh56 billion every year. This is the story. This country has to be fixed, and we’re the people to fix it because we’re part and parcel of the mess,” Onyonka said.
“The police officers are a consequence of our failure. We refuse to accept that we can act together, but we behave like children when everyone asks, where are the adults? What happened to Ojwang is a consequence of a failed state.”
The legislators have now summoned CS Murkomen and IG Kanja to appear before members over Ojwang’s death. They are expected to appear on Wednesday at 9:30 am, alongside IPOA Chairperson Ahmed Issack Hassan.
At the same time, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula directed the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security to table a preliminary report and statement in the House on Thursday at 2:30 pm. The report will provide updates on the ongoing investigations into the death of Ojwang’, which has stirred public outrage and renewed scrutiny of police accountability.
Ojwang’ was arrested at his home in Homa Bay County on Saturday afternoon and later transferred to Nairobi, where he reportedly died on Sunday. His death has sparked nationwide outrage, with Kenyans demanding accountability from the police.
Top Stories Today
